Child safety seats for restraining young children in cars are well known. There are four conventional stages for child safety seats. Firstly, stage 0 covers the age range from birth to around 6 –12 months. The devices in this category typically comprise an infant carrier, in which the baby reclines, removable from the vehicle and carry able by means of an integral folding handle. They are usually installed in a “rear-facing” configuration, in which the child faces the rear of the vehicle, and are secured against a vehicle seat by the vehicle's own three-point seatbelt. As the child grows, they move to Stage 1 (covering the 9 kg to 18 kg weight range). Typically, these seats include a forward-facing bucket-type seat secured to the vehicle using the 3-point seatbelt. The seat itself includes a 5-point harness to restrain the child securely. Stage 2 seats cover the weight range from 15 kg to 25 kg (typically ages 1 to 6 years). These seats typically including a booster-seat element, elevating the child from the surface of the vehicle seat, and an integral back-rest. The back-rest may include a 5-point harness, or may include means for routing the vehicle's 3-point seat belt across the child's chest. Finally, Stage 3 covers the weight range from 15 kg to 36 kg, and is typically used with older children (4 to 11 years). Stage 3 seats are essentially simple booster seats, elevating the child so that the vehicle's 3-point seatbelt fits appropriately across the child's shoulder and chest, avoiding the neck. Some booster seats include a seatbelt guide to lower the height of the seatbelt where it passes over the child's shoulder.
Conventionally, a user has to purchase a separate seat for each stage of a child's growth. This obviously has significant cost implications. Seats have been developed which cover both Groups 2 and 3, wherein a Group 3 booster seat is additionally provided with a detachable seat back element. More recently, combined Group 1,2 and 3 seats have been available, for example, the Britax TRIO or Javelin (trade marks).
The present invention seeks to provide a child's car seat having advantages over existing seats, providing structural elements which can be combined in different configurations to provide a seat suitable for use from birth to 3 years or older.